Thermography is a detection device that detects infrared energy (heat) through non-contact detection and converts it into an electrical signal, which in turn generates a thermal image and a temperature value on a monitor, and allows for the calculation of the temperature value. Thermal imaging is useful for: hints of inflammation, early warning of tumors, hints of peripheral nerve disease, analysis of other difficult conditions, and tracking of therapeutic effects.
Infrared thermography has two different principles: photon detection and thermal detection. The former mainly utilizes the electrical effect produced by photons on semiconductor materials for imaging, which is highly sensitive, but the temperature of the detector itself will have an effect on it, thus requiring cooling. The latter converts light-induced heat into an electrical signal, which is less sensitive than the former, but does not require cooling.
In addition to this, thermal imagers are categorized according to the wavelength band in which they operate, and the light-sensitive material they use. Common thermal imagers operate at 3 to 5 microns or 8 to 12 microns, while commonly used light-sensitive materials include lead sulfide, lead selenide, indium telluride, tin-lead telluride, mercury cadmium telluride, doped germanium and doped silicon. According to the number of light-sensitive components and the movement mode, there are mechanical scanning, gaze imaging type.
The use of thermal imaging camera is very wide, especially in the military, the use of thermal imaging camera can be found at night to emit heat tank engines, soldiers. In industry, thermal imaging cameras can be utilized to quickly detect the temperature of processed parts, thus grasping the necessary information. Since the failure of electronic components such as motors and transistors is often accompanied by an abnormal increase in temperature, the use of thermal imaging cameras can also be used to quickly diagnose the problem.
In medicine, when diseases such as influenza and pneumonia are prevalent, thermal imagers can be used to quickly determine if there is a fever. Because of the high temperature of cancer cells, it can also be used to assist in the diagnosis of breast cancer and other diseases. It can also be used by border guards to determine if there are smugglers in transportation or at the border.
Advantages of thermography
1, comprehensive and systematic.
Professionals can analyze the patient's entire body in a comprehensive and systematic way, overcoming the one-sidedness of other diagnostic techniques that are limited to a certain part of the body. The application of far-infrared thermal imaging technology has been able to detect inflammation, tumors, stones, vascular diseases, the nervous system, sub-health and other more than 100 kinds of diseases, involving all systems of the human body of common and frequent diseases.
2. "Green" and non-invasive.
Many imaging instruments are more or less harmful to the human body to varying degrees, while far-infrared thermography diagnosis does not produce any rays, no need to mark the drug. Therefore, it does not cause any harm to the human body, does not cause any pollution to the environment, and is simple and economical. Far-infrared thermography technology realizes the dream of human beings to pursue green health, and people figuratively refer to this technology as "green physical examination".
3, conducive to early detection of disease.
Compared with X-ray, B ultrasound, CT and other imaging technologies, far-infrared thermography is one of the most important advantages of early warning.
X-ray, B ultrasound, CT and other technologies have their own characteristics, but they can only be found after the formation of the disease, while the disease in the tissue structure and morphology before the appearance of changes in cell metabolism will be abnormal, the body will be a change in temperature, the temperature, the temperature, the shape of the temperature field, the size of the temperature difference can be reflected in the location of the disease, the nature and extent of the disease.
Far-infrared thermography can detect diseases based on abnormalities in human body temperature, so it can decipher potential hidden dangers in the absence of obvious signs in the body and detect problems earlier.